What does Kangaroo Paw look like?
The kangaroo paw gets its name from its flowers, which are often red in colour, feel furry, and are shaped just like a kangaroo’s paw.
The flowers of the kangaroo paw don’t have any scent, and can be red and green, hot pink, bright yellow or even black such as the hard to grow black kangaroo paw, Macropidia fulginosa. Kangaroo paws not only have lots of different coloured flowers, they also have very different sizes ranging from a 2m high to a tiny 30 cm.
Where is Kangaroo Paw found?
Originally native to south-west Western Australia, these beautiful and distinctive flowers can now be found all over the country, as they’re a favourite with many gardeners. They love growing in rocky, dry places with lots of sun and pollinator buddies around to help them out.
Fast facts:
- The leaves of the kangaroo paw grow in a similar way to grass, from underground roots or rhizomes, straight up out of the soil. This is a very useful adaptation when actual kangaroos come along and eat the leaves right down to the ground or when a bush fire burns their leaves off.
- There are many varieties of kangaroo paw with many different coloured flowers. They also have very different sizes ranging from a 2m high to a tiny 30 cm.
Kangaroo Paw – the full story
Originally native to south-west Western Australia, these beautiful and distinctive flowers can now be found all over the country, as they’re a favourite with many gardeners and landscapers.
The kangaroo paw gets its name from its flowers, which are often red in colour, feel furry, and are shaped just like a kangaroo’s paw. The nectar in the long and tubular flowers are an important high-energy food source for many birds, mammals and insects.
The kangaroo paw relies on animals to help with pollination. When a long-tongued marsupial like the small, dainty Honey Possum or a thin-beaked bird like the Tawny-crowned Honeyeater comes along to feed on the paw’s nectar, its long, thin anthers cover the animal with pollen. These messy eaters then head off to another plant, taking the pollen with them.
The flowers of the kangaroo paw don’t have any scent, and can be red and green, hot pink, bright yellow or even black – the hard to grow black kangaroo paw, Macropidia fulginosa.
Kangaroo paws not only have lots of different coloured flowers, they also have very different sizes ranging from a 2m high to a tiny 30 cm. They love growing in rocky, dry places with lots of sun and pollinator buddies around to help them out.
The leaves of the kangaroo paw grow in a similar way to grass, from underground roots or rhizomes, straight up out of the soil. This is a very useful adaptation when actual kangaroos come along and eat the leaves right down to the ground or when a bush fire burns their leaves off. Their root system means kangaroo paws can survive these events and start growing again, even after their leaves have been damaged.
These beautiful buddies are a stunning sight in the bush but also have a look around in your local parks and gardens and you’re sure to come across a brilliant, furry splash of colour.
Did you know?
The kangaroo paw is a great survivor of droughts and bushfires. They survive by either producing lots of seeds which will germinate when a fire has passed through or because of the rhizomes that are deep enough underground to be safe from getting burnt. Once the fire is over, the kangaroo paw will then begin sending up new leaves from their underground rhizome.
Tip
There are a few diseases that the kangaroo paw is susceptible to including rust and ink fungus. These diseases are naturally kept under control when a fire passes through the bush. In the garden you can cut them back after flowering to simulate the effects of a bushfire. This allows the kangaroo paw to grow back healthy new shoots.
